April 2007

Chapter News
Welcome New Members

All Bakersfield Chapter Events

Education Foundation CPE Opportunitis in the Bakersfield area

Events of Interest
Tax Controversies: A Day with the Government

CalCPA News
CPA Day at the Capitol
Join the Profession’s Future Leaders
We Value Your Membership–Renew Today

Resources

President’s Message
Is it a Mirage?
By Coral Hansen, CPA
That beautiful oasis and the end of this long desert is really close. Only a few more days before your camel reaches his destination. Hang in there. You can do it!
  Although we are in the middle of tax season, your chapter has been busy with several interesting events in February. The Litigation Committee’s Feb. 9 meeting dealt with computer forensics and was led by Michael Tashman from Online Security. The presentation, which attracted 13 members, covered key amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and computer forensics as a process and its practical applications. It was cutting-edge and interesting stuff!
  Our chapter’s Business and Industry and Litigation committees held a joint meeting with the Institute of Management Accountants Feb. 20 that featured speakers Daniel Klingenberger and myself. Klingenberger presented key employment law updates and I led a case study regarding “Managing Shareholders Expectations”—or as some would say, fraud. We had 15 people attend this meeting, which allowed for a great deal of interaction and discussion. A warm thank you to Leon Elwell from IMA and our own Nick Pavletich, Business and Industry Committee chair, for putting on the event. Well done, gentlemen!
  At the state level, the quarterly Fraud Conference was held Feb. 27 and it was the largest meeting this year, with more than 40 people in attendance. The turnout might have been due to the amazing speakers who were scheduled.
  The first speaker, Ellen Fischer, was an internal auditor at UCLA and spoke on the “Top 10 Things Auditors Do to Mess Up.” She provided tips on how to avoid making these errors and shared some of the interesting cases she’s worked on. The second speaker, Steve Morrison, discussed forensic computer investigation goals and shared the importance and value that a computer forensic specialist can add to a fraud investigation. The third speaker was Peter Elkind, editor-at-large of Fortune magazine. Elkind co-authored the book The Smartest Guys in the Room–The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron. For our meeting, he spoke on the article “The Law Firm of Hubris, Hypocrisy and Greed” regarding the Milberg Weiss scandal. His presentation was just a preview of what he will be presenting in Las Vegas at the Advanced Litigation Conference in May. Hope to see you there!
  Cheers,
—Coral Hansen, CPA
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Chapter News
Welcome New Members
On behalf of the Bakersfield Chapter’s officers, directors and members, we extend our warmest of welcomes to our new members:

Candidate Members
Ling Luo, CBIZ & Mayer Hoffman McCann PC

Candidate Member Converted to Licensed CPA
Ariadne Prunes, Brown Armstrong CPAs
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Events of Interest
Tax Controversies: A Day with the Government
This one-day course brings together the leading tax controversy experts from across the U.S. and explores the life cycle of a tax controversy—from audit through resolution. Hear presentations from federal and state taxing authorities, distinguished jurists, academics and private practitioners.
  Simultaneous panel presentations allow you to choose your area of interest. Topics include civil and criminal tax audits and litigation; business valuation controversies; bankruptcy; and federal tax advocacy.
  Whether you are a novice or experienced practitioner, this course presents cutting-edge information you can use.
  Keynote Speaker: Donald L. Korb, IRS chief counsel
  This course is presented by the University of California, Berkeley Extension; the Berkeley Center for Law, Business and the Economy; CalCPA; and Klein, DeNatale, Goldner, Cooper, Rosenlieb & Kimball, LLP.

Date: Monday, May 7
Time: 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
Location: Berkeley
Info:www.kleinlaw.com/taxseminar/.
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CalCPA News
CPA Day at the Capitol [PDF]
Help legislators understand the issues facing California CPAs.
  CPA Day at the Capitol is one of the more important events for CalCPA members to attend. Scheduled for Tuesday, May 29, this is your opportunity to speak with legislators and their staff on issues important to you as a California CPA.
  You will be briefed on current issues and then assigned to teams to meet with the legislators. Together we can help them understand the impact and unintended consequences that well-meaning laws and regulations can have and we’ll establish meaningful relationships for the future.
  Our efforts are so much more effective when the legislator or their staff can sit face to face with someone—you—who is directly affected by an issue.
  Please register as early as possible to allow CalCPA time to assign you to teams and schedule appointments with legislators.
  Register today at www.calcpa.org/cpaday.
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Join the Profession’s Future Leaders [PDF]
The future leaders of the CPA profession will convene in May at the 2007 Young & Emerging Professionals Conference to challenge their thinking and experience professional growth.
  Attend this forward-thinking event and leave with: